The Talk
by shewhowillrise
Summary: Alex and Peter are done seeing their father's heart continuously getting chewed up and spit out by the people he dates. They sabotage his next date to lay down some ground rules.
1. The First Talk

**AN** : Written for IronStrange Week back in May. Currently moving over all ao3 fanfics to this account (which I totally forgot I had lmao). Currently uploading to FFNET at 3am. So, 1) sorry about no emphasis with italics and such and 2) sorry for any grammar mistakes.

 **Additional Notes** : Peter is Tony's biological son in this and I fancasted Bex Taylor-Klaus for Alex.

* * *

Dressed in a suit with roses in his hand, Stephen felt more ready then he ever felt in the operating room. For one thing, there's no way he'll mess this up so bad that Tony would die so Stephen was confident. This was their first real date, so far the first few were just coffee dates.

The red stone walkway to the front door had short lights on each side. There were two bikes by the front door. Stephen smiled at that, remembering the way Tony talked happily about his children. He hoped he'd make a good impression on the two. He didn't want to break up a happy family, no matter how much he loved Tony, he wouldn't do that to his kids if they didn't like him.

He looked at his watch, almost seven p.m. An hour earlier than their designated time. He got the text a few hours ago about the time change. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

The door swung open to a teenage girl, short black hair, striking blue eyes, and a punk rock goth look that set Stephen on edge. He remembered Tony had a son and a daughter, Peter, who was 15 and Alex, who was 18. This must be Alex.

She sneered at him before turning back into the house, "Yo Pete, the fucker's here!"

Stephen was taken back and didn't quite know how to respond as Alex opened the door.

"Well you comin' in or not? I don't want to get a wasp or mosquito to get in because you won't move your ass," she said, her sneer never leaving her face as she watched him walk into the house. The house opened with a wide living room, to the left were stairs, and to the right a wide hallway.

"You got roses, good. Dad loves roses," said a voice to Stephen's left. A boy with dark brown hair and eyes came down the steps, carrying a metal chair. He walked up to Stephen, setting the chair down in front of him. Peter , Stephen guessed.

"Sit," Peter said, pointed to the chair.

"Excuse me?"

"He said sit," Alex said, grasping the roses from Stephen when he turned to look at her as she spoke. He was pulled back and pushed down into the chair by Peter. His hands not leaving Stephen's shoulders, keeping him in the chair.

"But-" Stephen tried to explain that he was supposed to go on a date with their father.

"You don't need to worry about your date. Our father still thinks you're not supposed to pick him up until eight o'clock," she explained, examining the roses.

"See," Peter said, his voice low and creepy in Stephen's ear, "We used our dad's phone to get you here early so we can set some ground rules."

Tony mentioned his children were protective of him once, on their second coffee date. Stephen was briefly reminded on the shovel talk he got from James Rhodes the night before the first coffee date. Rhodes had called him at midnight after getting the number from Tony to threaten that if he hurts Tony, Rhodes would hurt him. Stephen figured this was one such shovel talks from Tony's children, so he decided to play along.

"Ground rules?"

"Yup," Alex said, the 'p' popping, as she took out a switchblade, whipping it open and slicing the rose stems at an angle and pocketing the knife in one go.

"Ground rule number uno," Peter said, coming around Stephen, stepping over a roomba that was sweeping up the stems on the floor, "No talking condescendingly to our father making him feel insecure about his life choices."

Stephen nodded at that.

"Ground rule number dos," Alex said, passing the roses to Peter, who disappeared down the hall. She walked up close to Stephen, slapping her hands on the chair's arms, making him flinch, "No, and I repeat, no, forcing our dad to do something he is obviously uncomfortable with."

"Of course," he said, dejected at the fact that anyone would think he would do something like that. Her eyebrow lifted at that, from surprise or dubiosity, he didn't know. She removed herself from the arms of the chair as she stepped back. Stephen could see Peter was back, the roses in a vase and sitting on the side table next to the long white couch.

Alex walked to the roses, opening a drawer in the side table as Peter stood in front of him with his arms crossed.

"Ground rule number tres, if you have a problem with us ," he said, flicking his finger between him and Alex, "you bring it up with **us**. Not with our dad, us. Your problems with us is a you and us problem, not a fucking you and Tony problem. Got it?"

Stephen nodded again, "Yes, yes got it. If I got a problem with you, I talk with you. Sounds perfectly reasonable." Peter looked impressed at that.

"Last, but not least ," Alex said, walking back over with a pen and a little card in her hand, "You will not, under any circumstances , use our father, Anthony Edward Stark, for fame or fortune, you will not steal any Stark Industries information and sell it or give it away, and you must ask Jarvis,then Rhodey, then us for the honor and blessing to marry Tony, in that order and only that order , if you so choose to do so."

Stephen's eyes widened, he wasn't really thinking about marriage when he was planning on dating Tony, but looking at their faces, he could tell they were serious.

"I accept these terms," he said, straightening his back and speaking with as much diction as he was able to. Alex and Peter gave a look before Alex handed Stephen the card and pen.

"Write a cute little love note to our dad and I'll put it with the roses and we'll tell him it was dropped of earlier as a gift. Then you will show up at eight o'clock sharp, take him to dinner, have a wonderful night, return him before eleven, and treat him like a treasure the whole time."

Stephen agreed once again to their terms and took the card, writing a cute note and handed it back. Alex returned to the roses as Peter lead him out.

Stephen was halfway through the walkway when Peter called for him. Upon turning, Peter said, "Break any of these terms, we break you! " And he closed the door.

Later Alex and Peter were on the couch watching cartoons when their father walked down the steps.

"Has Stephen arrived yet?" He asked, adjusting his cufflinks.

"Not yet," Peter said, "but roses were dropped off for you."

They watched out of the corner of their eyes as their father picked up the card from the vase of roses, reading with a smile that got wider and wider. He put the card down and picked up roses, sniffing them. When he put them down, a knock was heard from the front door.

"He's here!" Their father said, happiness practically flowing from his mouth like a rainbow. They heard Stephen and their father talking without really hearing the words until the door shut.

"So," Peter started.

"Passed the test unlike the last person," Alex finished with an impressed nod.


	2. The Second Talk

**AN** : I didn't want to edit it with italics because I"m tired so sorry about that. i'll probably edit it later.

* * *

Stephen was eating eggo waffles when Alex walked into the kitchen and didn't bother sparing him a glance. She went to the cupboard and got a cup before going to the fridge and took out Mountain Dew Ice. She poured in into the cup and when she put the soda back into the fridge, she took out a glass bottle of light brown liquid. She shook the bottle before tearing off the plastic covering and twisted it open with a pop and then poured it into the cup with the soda.

"Did you just mix a Starbucks mocha with Mountain Dew?" Stephen asked, lifting an eyebrow. The Doctor in him was screaming at him to tell her how unhealthy that was, but living with the Starks for a month now taught him how defensive they are of their caffeine.

She turned and stared at him unblinking as she got the lid to the cup out of the drawer, along with the straw. She snapped the lid on and put in the straw, still staring at Stephen, and put the straw to her lips and drank her caffeine.

"Can you drive me to school? My ride canceled last minute," she said, grabbing her backpack from the chair she left it on the previous night.

"Yeah, I don't have any appointments today," he said, smiling. "Just let me finish my waffles."

"Sure," she walked out to the living room. Stephen sighed as he finished his waffles. Peter had warmed up to him, but Alex was another story. Some days it feels like she liked him, and others she gave him the cold shoulder. She barely spoke a word too him in the past five months him and Tony have been together. Just like how she wasn't speaking to him at all in the car.

"You want to stop and get a bacon biscuit at McDonald's?"

"Sure," Alex said, sighing and crossing her arms.

"Okay, what's your problem with me?" Stephen asked, tired of weighting.

"What?" Alex said aggressively, turning to look at him angrily.

"When I first met you, you said that if I had a problem with you, to come to you," he said, pulling into the long line of cars at the drive through. He turned to her as they waited. "And it's quite obvious that you have a problem with me. That's why I'm asking you instead of Tony."

She glared at him before sighing and looking forward.

"His last relationship, he was engaged. He seemed perfect for Dad," she started picking at her jeans.

"Then one day a new man comes to the neighborhood. Acts a lot like Dad, looks a lot like him too, blue eyes instead of brown though," she started picking apart the tears she created in her jeans.

"The fiance started staying late for work and cancelling dates. Turns out the new man was his boyfriend from his high school days. Dad found out when he was called late into work and saw them kissing across the street."

She turned to look him in the eye.

"You work with your ex-girlfriend, a Doctor Christine Palmer," she said, sounding out Christine's name slowly. "You two are practically connected at the hip. When Peter had to go to the hospital, I saw you and her whispering in the hallway. I. Do. Not. Trust. You."

Stephen was caught off guard by her confession. She seemed to refuse to look at him after what she said, but Stephen still had a a haunted feeling of her eyes glaring at him.

After getting their breakfast, the ride was silent. Alex was obvious about ignoring him, purposely not moving her eyes from the side window.

"Our relationship is strictly professional. I do not deny that we once had a personal relationship," he sighed, stopping at a red light, "But it didn't end ideally, so we both agreed to end it on the best of terms that we could."

He looked over at her and he saw her blink and finally look at him.

"You may not believe me right now, but I promise, I would never do that to your father."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I love him. I love him with my whole heart. I promise you, no matter what, I will stick by Tony's side."

 **3 Months Later**

Alex had a grey wool sweater on, sitting on the couch, typing on her computer. Peter sat a few feet away from her, wrapped in a fuzzy red and blue blanket, watching cartoons. They were both startled by their ringtones, Alex's singing a metal version of Go Go Power Rangers, and Peter's a remix of Radioactive.

 _ **From Dad** : Stephen wants to take your guys out to a dinner. Dress properly. At least no ripped clothing._

They exchanged a look.

The restaurant was fancy. Tables of granite and a crystal chandelier.

Alex's dress was a shimmery red with a black ribbon wrapped around her waist. Peter had a shiny red suit, with the collar black and a black tie on a white collared shirt.

Alex kept messing with her dress' neckline.

"You boob isn't going to suddenly pop out sis," Peter said.

"Says the guy that keeps adjusting his pants."

"They're tight!" Peter hissed, "And Dad didn't say you had to wear a dress, you came here all on your own with it and-"

"Mr. Parker and Ms. Stark?" a waiter interrupted, motioning them to follow her when they confirmed that that is who they were. She lead them to a table with Stephen, who was wearing a simple suit.

Dinner was casually strained with Peter and Stephen talking for the most of it and Alex isolated in her own world. She was fine with that, but she wanted to know why they were here.

"So, as you know, your father and I have been in a relationship for ten months now. I quite love your father, and typically I would have asked this of you four months ago but," he looked at Alex, "I realized that would have been too soon. But now I feel it's the right time."

Stephen's hands fiddled with themselves as he took a breath, "I would like your blessing to marry your father."

Alex and Peter smiled.

 **6 Months Later**

"Hold still!" Wong laughed as Alex squirmed, messing up his work of her tie. She was wearing the same attire as him. Alex had accepted Stephen's proposal of being one of his groomsmen four months earlier. It was when they were on Bizarro at six flags, right before the first drop. An unusual place for an unusual request. She accepted of course. They've bonded since that ride to school.

"Third time Dad's been engaged, but the first time we actually got to the wedding part, so I'm nervous, that's all," she said, tugging on her cuffs.

"Don't be nervous," he said, resetting and tying her tie, "Stephen loves your father. He wouldn't leave him up there."

"I know," she said, "that's not who I'm worried about."

"Shit shit shit!" Tony panicked, looking around his room, frantically ripping it apart.

"Dad! Dad calm down!" Peter grabbed his father by the shoulders, halting him, "What's the problem?"

"I can't find the cufflinks! They were Stephen's fathers and if I don't find them and wear them to the wedding, Stephen's going to see and think I don't care and he's going to leave and I'll be up there by myself and it's all my fault and I-"

"Breathe!" Peter practically yelled in his father's face. "You need to breathe."

Peter was able to calm down his father, rudding his arms up and down.

"Stephen loves you Dad. He's going to be up there."

Tony's white suit lined with gold was beautiful on him. It made Stephen smile watching the love of his life walking up the aisle. Tony's smile rivaled his own.

Mama Rhodes kissed Tony's cheek before handing him to Stephen.

Alex smiles across to Peter, who stood next to Rhodey on Tony's side.

Their father finally found his happy ending.


End file.
